U.S. Whistleblower Programs Define 'Original Information' for Monetary Awards in Anti-Corruption Efforts
To qualify for monetary awards under most U.S. whistleblower programs, individuals must provide 'original information' to the government. This information must be unknown to the government, derived from the whistleblower's own knowledge or analysis, and not exclusively from public sources. Various U.S. agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for Anti-Money Laundering (AML), the Department of Transportation for Motor Vehicle Safety, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), have specific definitions for 'original information.' For instance, the SEC defines it as facts not from publicly available sources or an independent analysis revealing something not generally known. The AML Whistleblower Program, administered through FinCEN, similarly requires information derived from independent knowledge or analysis not already known to the Treasury Department or Attorney General. These programs i...
